Kosovo: Fraudulent claim about the death of Albanian youth

[Andrej Tisma]

(FORWARDED COMMENT:)
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PILLARS IN QUICKSAND


Manifestation of a process


Bob Petrovich



Only a day after Council of Europe warned of flagrant human rights
violations of Serbs and other non-Albanian citizens in UN controlled Kosovo
province, Serb churches and houses are set ablaze, people are being killed,
and situation deteriorates so quickly that KFOR admits it is out of control.

KFOR spokesperson MAJ Stefan Ratzenberger, Austrian Army, gave his view of
what happened:

"Since the Albanians have been facing uncertainty over Kosovo's status for
quite a while now, and are nervous and tense, the case of the Albanian
children led to this escalation. It all began in Mitrovica and the violence
soon spread throughout Kosovo," he said. Ratzenberger emphasized that the
conflict is continuing and that tens of thousands of Albanians are on the
roads heading towards Pristina. No one knows, he said, what will happen when
the mob reaches the city."

The case that Maj. Ratzenberger alludes to is disinformation that appeared
in Kosovo Albanian media Wednesday morning, just on time to incite Kosovo
Albanians who gathered to protest arrest of four former KLA terrorists
members by UNMIK.

According to Kosovo Albanian media, Serbs chased children into the River and
children drowned. In reality, Serbs had nothing to do with the drowning of
Albanian children (see the statement of UNMIK spokesperson below)

This should have put UNMIK and KFOR on the high alert, since earlier
instances of such calls for witch hunt resulted in violent clashes, but for
some reason it did not -the outbreak of violence March 17/18, took KFOR and
UNMIK Police by surprise.

Inciting masses and presenting the reaction as a spontaneous act is nothing
new. KRISTALLNACHT was presented as a spontaneous reaction of the German
people to the news that a German diplomat had been murdered by a young
Jewish refugee in Paris. In reality, the whole event was organized by the
NSDAP to force German Jews to flee Germany.


What happened in Kosovo is chillingly similar: once falsified story sparked
orchestrated violence, Albanian Extremists set  churches, and Serb homes
ablaze and put Serb civilians under machine gun and sniper fire. At least 22
people dead and hundreds wounded, some gravely. Hundreds of Serbs are
missing. NATO calls for KFOR reinforcement.

Human rights organizations perpetuating politically correct delusion about
Kosovo "nationbuilding" success are silent. Their guilt in complicity makes
them resistant to admit the facts.


Still, Albanian terrorists, as master confidence artists, continue to
succeed in seemingly impossible: to openly manifest repetitive criminal
behavior, and at the same time sustain an inordinate amount of trust media
put in them. So much that even after reported 1000 murdered and 1000
presumed dead victims of Albanian terrorism in UNMIK controlled province,
and openly voiced ambition for ethnically clean Kosovo, latest developments
are being explained as an outrage to deaths of these three unfortunate
children.


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TIMELINE:


[1] Monday March 15 2004 : Kosovo Albanian extremists shoot and wound  18
year old Serb boy in drive by shooting in Ceglavica village near Pristina.

Kosovo Serbs protest

[2] Tuesday March 16 2004:


Paris : A hearing on human rights situation in Kosovo. The Committee on
Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly held a hearing
on the human rights situation in Kosovo in the Council of Europe Paris
Office on Tuesday 16 March 2004. The hearing was opened by the first
Vice-Chairperson of the committee, Dick Marty (Switzerland, LDR).
Participants included Bajram Rexhepi, Prime Minister of the Provisional
Institutions of Self-Government (PISG) of Kosovo. Abysmal human rights for
non-Albanians reported. Damaging report for Extremists and their supporters.

Washington DC: According to UNMIK, former KLA head Hashim Thaci visited
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Europe and Euro-Asia, Kathleen Stephens and
annother senior official (Jim Sweigert).Ms. Stephens appreciated Mr. Thaci's
effort for creating necessary conditions for the well being of the citizens
in areas such as the rule of law, the fight against crime and corruption,
the dialogue, the returns, freedom of movement, economic development and
privatization.

Pristina:  The senior United Nations envoy in Kosovo today informed Albanian
leaders in the province that a number of Kosovo Albanians, members of KPC
have been arrested in connection with serious crimes, including murder of
Kosovo Albanians in 1998. Among the arrested is General Selim Krasniqi,
commander of the Second Zone of KPC.

Cabra Village near Kosovoska Mitrovica : 3 Albanian youths disappear in fast
Ibar river around 4:30 PM. No accusation that it was caused by Serbs exist
at that time.


[3] Wednesday March 17 2004:




Mass demonstrations of Kosovo Albanians throughout Kosovo province with the
aim to get General Krasniqi and other arrested terrorists released.

Kosovo Albanian media incite public with fraudulent claim that it was Serbs
who caused the death of Albanian youth.


Mobs of Albanian extremists, numbering in thousands, armed with assault
weapons and grenades clash with UNMIK, KFOR and Serb civilians throughout
the Kosovo province, torching Serb houses and Christian churches.
There are 18 people dead and hundreds wounded. All churches in Prizren
burned, including 14th Century monastery of the Holy Archangels.


UNMIK spokesman Derek Chappell said tonight that the survivor of yesterday's
Ibar River drowning has told his parents that he and three friends entered
the river alone and were immediately caught up in the heavy current. The boy
managed to reach the opposite bank of the river, but his three companions
were swept away.

The incident happened at about 4.30 p.m. and police began a search of the
river about an hour and a half later.  Two bodies have been found so far.
Today's violent incidents around Kosovo were sparked after claims that the
boys had been chased into the river by Serbs with a dog.

Chappell told media in Pristina tonight that this was definitely not true
according to the account of the surviving boy.


The violence in Kosovo today has obviously been planned in advance, UNMIK
spokesman Derek Chappell told Austrian state television ORF this evening.

In a report broadcast at midnight, Chappell described the situation as
chaotic.

"There has been violence in Kosovo before, but this time it's coordinated
action. The violence erupted in a number of places at the same time which
shows that it was planned in advance," he said.